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Saturday’s NBA slate is on the smaller side. There are just four games to choose from, including a three-game main slate starting at 7 p.m. ET on DraftKings. Let’s dive into some of the top options to consider at each position.
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Point Guard
Stud
Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks at Charlotte Hornets ($11,800) – Doncic is coming off a rare subpar game in his last outing. He finished with just 42.25 DKFP, but he shot just 5-for-20 from the field and racked up six turnovers. Doncic still posted a massive 40.7% usage rate in that contest, so he should see some positive regression on Saturday.
Additionally, Doncic grabs one of the best possible matchups vs. the Hornets. They’ve played at the third-fastest pace this season, and they rank just 23rd in defensive efficiency. The Mavericks have played at the slowest pace in the league, so this is a massive pace-up spot. Overall, Doncic is clearly the top stud on Saturday’s slate.
Other Options – Darius Garland ($9,100), LaMelo Ball ($8,800)
Value
Ish Smith, Washington Wizards vs. Los Angeles Lakers ($4,100) – Smith is currently splitting the point guard minutes with Raul Neto ($4,000), and he’s provided nice fantasy value in that role. He’s averaged 0.96 DKFP per minute over the past month, and he’s expected to play around 24 minutes on Saturday. That gives him a good chance of paying off his $4,100 salary, especially in a plus matchup vs. the Lakers.
Other Options – Raul Neto ($4,000)
Shooting Guard
Stud
Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons at Cleveland Cavaliers ($8,300) – Cunningham has missed the past two games for the Pistons, but he’s probable for Saturday’s matchup vs. the Cavaliers. Cunningham has been playing some of his best basketball of late. He’s scored at least 45.5 DKFP in three of his past four games, and he’s increased his production to 1.17 DKFP per minute over the past month. That makes him intriguing if he’s able to return to the lineup.
Other Options – Jalen Brunson ($6,300)
Value
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Washington Wizards vs. Los Angeles Lakers ($5,100) – Caldwell-Pope has been a consistent source of value recently. He’s exceeded salary-based expectations by nearly 5.0 DKFP over his past 10 games, and he’s returned value in eight of his past 11 games. He’s averaged 0.84 DKFP per minute over the past month, and he’s also seen a bump in playing time over the second half of the year. He’s coming off 37 minutes in Friday’s loss to the Knicks, and he should see another sizable workload on Saturday if he plays after being tagged as questionable Saturday afternoon.
Other Options – Isaac Okoro ($4,000), Corey Kispert ($3,800)
Small Forward
Stud
Saddiq Bey, Detroit Pistons at Cleveland Cavaliers ($6,800) – Bey is coming off a massive performance in his last outing. He scored 51 points vs. the Magic – the NBA’s eighth 50-point game during the month of March – to go along with nine rebounds, four assists and three steals. However, that game was with both Cunningham and Jerami Grant ($6,900) out of the lineup. Both players are expected to return to action on Saturday, which will be a blow to Bey’s value, but he’s still one of the safer options at a weak position.
Other Options – Lauri Markkanen ($5,900)
Value
Deni Avdija, Washington Wizards vs. Los Angeles Lakers ($3,700) – Avdija is another affordable option for the Wizards. He’s seen more playing time of late, logging an average of 27.2 minutes over his past three games. He’s averaged 0.84 DKFP per minute this season, and he’s scored at least 24.5 DKFP in two of those contests. He’s coming off a poor performance on Friday, but the entire Wizards’ offense struggled in a low-scoring affair vs. the Knicks. Things should be much better for the squad on Saturday, with the Lakers ranking sixth in pace this season.
Other Options – Corey Kispert ($3,800), Isaac Okoro ($4,000)
Power Forward
Stud
LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers at Washington Wizards ($11,400) – Outside of Doncic, LeBron is the only other true “stud” on Saturday’s slate. He’s had to do everything for the Lakers recently just to try to drag this team into the play-in tournament. He’s playing huge minutes – he logged 44.7 minutes in their overtime win on Friday – and he’s scored at least 61.25 DKFP points in four of his past seven games.
I’m sure the Lakers would love not to push LeBron so hard on the second leg of a back-to-back, but they really don’t have that luxury. With Anthony Davis sidelined and the rest of the squad struggling, expect another monster workload for LeBron vs. the Wizards.
Other Options – Kyle Kuzma ($8,000), Jerami Grant ($6,900)
Value
Rui Hachimura, Washington Wizards vs. Los Angeles Lakers ($3,600) – Let’s continue to target the Wizards for value. It’s been a tough year for Hachimura, who missed most of the first half of the season. However, he’s started to play a bit more recently, and he’s been a consistent source of fantasy value. He’s returned positive value in five of his past six games, and he’s scored at least 25.25 DKFP in three of them. The Wizards lead the slate with an implied team total of 115.25 points, so grabbing a few of their value options makes plenty of sense.
Other Options – Maxi Kleber ($3,900)
Center
Stud
Kristaps Porzingis, Washington Wizards vs. Los Angeles Lakers ($7,500) – Porzingis has started to get his feet wet with the Wizards. He’s likely not going to see substantial minutes for the rest of the year, but he has played at least 27.5 minutes in two of his past three games. Porzingis has the potential to be highly effective on a per-minute basis, and he’s averaged 1.36 DKFP per minute over the past month. He’s also reasonably priced at $7,500 in this spot.
Other Options – Evan Mobley ($7,700)
Value
Wenyen Gabriel, Los Angeles Lakers at Washington Wizards ($3,000) – Gabriel is an intriguing source of value for the Lakers. He’s priced at the absolute minimum, and he’s coming off 26.75 DKFP over 24.9 minutes on Friday. The playing time is a bit of an outlier, but he should see between 16 and 20 minutes on Saturday if’s he good to go (he was listed as questionable on Saturday morning). Gabriel has averaged 1.01 DKFP per minute over the past month, so that’s enough for him to provide value.
Using Gabriel and some of the Wizards’ values allows you to jam both Doncic and LeBron into your lineups, who have the highest ceilings on the slate by a substantial margin.
Other Options – Carmelo Anthony ($5,000), Isaiah Stewart ($4,800)
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